HOME INTERESTS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2808, 8 January 1908, Page 74

HOME INTERESTS.

CUCUMBER SOUP.

Peel and cut up two small cucumbers into disc-shaped pieces, adding two large onions finely chopped and the white part of a head of lettuce. Put these vegetables in a stewpan with a seasoning of salt and pepper, a sprig of parsley, and a piece of butter the aize of an egg. When tender, add three pints of good stock, a tablespoonful of meat extract, a little tapioca, previously soaked in water, a heaped dessertspoonful of chopped parsley, and pepper and salt to taste. After simmering for two or three hours, stir in two yolks of eggs, and serve with disc-shaped croutons.

TOMATO SOUP" WITHOUT MEAT.

Put Sib of tomatoes into a stewpan. When they begin to simmer add two bay leaves and two sprigs of parsley. Boil slowly for 20 minutes, 1 then take off the fire and strain off the seeds, bay leaves, and parsley. Put the strained, tomatoes back into the stewpan, iand when boiling -add one large tablespoonful of flour and the stone of butter, mix to a smooth paste;' pour in on© pint and a-half of milk;' boil .gently for 10 mdnutea; season with two tablespoonfuls of sugar, salt, and pepper.

EAGOTJT.

Take pieces of mutton, veal, beef, or rabbit, cut into any size or - shape desired, heat ft tablespoonful of dripping in a saucepan, and when hot "fry th« meat until almost done. Jake out the meat and add a teaspoonful of flour, brown, it, add 1 & little lukewarm water, mix it well, and then add a quart of boiling water ; season with salt and' cayenne pepper, add the nie^t, three or four onions', six or seven potatoes, partially boiled before being put into the ragout; cover closely, and stew until the vegetables are done. 'Take out the meat and vegetables and skim off all the fat from the gravy, season mbre, if necessary, pour over the ragout, and serve.

FRENCH PIE.

One pound of cold meat or sausage, 2£lb of potatoes, half an onion, loz of butter, loz^of flour, half a pint of water, a few drops of browning. Boil the potatoes, mash them ■with butter, a little milk, pepper, and salt. Melt the butter in a pan, brown the onion in it, stir in the flour smoothly, add the water, and stir till boiling. Place the meat — finely minced. — in the gravy, add the browning, and' cook gently for a quarter of an hour; pour it into th© bottom of a pieddsh, pile the potatoes on. top, fork up, and bake 20 minutes until brown.

MINCE MEAT.

Hequired: Two pounds of baef suet, 2Jlb of chopped raisins, ljlb of cleaned currants, 2lb of mdnced apple, 21b of brown sugar, a pinch of salt, Jib of chopped) mixed peel, ioz of mixed pudding spice, three lemons, 2oz of shelled almonds, quarter of a. pint of brandy, quarter of a pint of port or home-made wine. Chop the suet finely, but no flour or crumbs may be added. If the suet is inclined to clog, mix «. little sugar with it while chopping it Mix together the suet, fruits, sugar, salt, grated lemon, and chopped almonds; strain in the lemon juice, add the brandy and wine; mix all together. Put it, v into dry jars, and cover with parchment 'paper.

STBAWBEERY SALAD.

This dish makes a very nice onange from the too frequent repetition, of strawberries served with oream. Use only ripe, firm berries for this purpose. Put a very little crushed ice at the bottom of a ohina bowl; put in m, layer of picked strawberries, sprinkle them; with sugar and a, little maraschino, 'and repeat this until the bowl is nearly full. Lastly, pour a liqueur glass of tho maraschino over all, add a good 1 squeeze of lemon, juice, and stand the bowl in, a cold place until the salad is wanted.

FRENCH BEAN SALAD.

Take about a> pint of cold cooked Frenchbeans, one lettuce, on© teaspoonful each of chopped tarragon and parsley, three hardboiled eggs, three tablespoonfula of salad oil, eaK and black pepper to taste, and one tablespoonful of vinegar. "Wash the lettuce carefully and 'dry it, then put the best leaves in a border round the -sal-ad ' bowl ; toss the beans lightly in 'the oil and vinegar, seasoning them with salt and a liberal dusting of popper; heap the beans in the middle of the lettuce, and sprinkle over them tae •tarragon and parsley. Shell and alice the eggs neatly and us© them as a garnian. Mayonnaise dressing may be used instead 01 this eimpler one if it is liked.

EG-G SALAD.

Boil on© dozen eggs hard, and when cold separata the yolks and whites; cream th« yolks; chop -the -whites fine; haVe a, salad bowl surrounded by crisp lettuce; make * ling of the chopped whites just meide tao border of lettuce, and heap the yolka in the centre; cover the yolks wilh. a thin mayonnaise.

SPANISH OMELET.

For this take six «ggs, one m«dium-sized tomato out line, one sjnall onion, three tablespoonfuls of milk, a dash of red pepper, five mushrooms, ilb of bacon minced' and fried brown, and a quarter of a teaspoonful of salt. Having browned the bacon, add to it -the tomato, onion, and mushrooms, chopped fine, s.nd cook for 15 minutes. Break the eggs xA a, bowl i»itiiout separating, aad b«»t vi§w-

> ously. Add to them the salt and pepper; put a tablespconful of butter in the omelet pan, and, wlwn melted and the sidea of the pan thoroughly greased, pour in the eggs and shake over a quick fir© until well 1 set. Nbw_ quickly pour the mixture from the other frying pan over the omielet, fold over > once, and turn out in.to"the centre of a hot - plate. PINEAPPLE OREAM. ' i Cut a pineapple into very small pieces, and! sprinkle with sugar. Himed! pineapple' is equally as good. .Mfcs naM » pint of cream ■with a quarter of a pint of milk, strain, into • it a teaciipful of ihe pineapple juice, in 1 ■ •which half an ounoe of gelatine and 2oz of l sugar Have previously been dissolved; lastly, add the pineapple. Place the- eieoan. in a wetted border mould, and, wheiji set, turn. out! and fill the -centre with whipped" cream. Thia can equally -well be made wrtb, peaches or ■ apricots, and a thick custard 1 substituted for • the cream. s_ ZUCKBR-KUCBXEIN (Little Sugax Cakes). ' > , Three whole eggs, one and! a-half cupfula of powdered sugar, one and a-liolf cupfula L of flour. Beat the eggs and sugar together until very light.' Sift in the flour slowly, stirring all -the time. Butter a large, flat 1 pan and drop on it, with liberal spaces be- ' tween, heaping -half-teaapoonfuls of the mikr ture. These bits will bake, round. . Bake in j a moderate oven about or 15 minutes. CHOCOLATi VAUDOISB CREAM: » Dissolve icz of gelatine in half a' pint _of ' milk over a gentle" heat, stir into it 2oz of cocoa or grated chocolete, and boil three minutes. Make a boiled custard with pne egg, half a pint of milk, and one' ieaspoonful of sugar; flavour "it with vanilla. Stir this to tiie chocolate, pour in a glass dish, and set away till cold. It is" v not intended to be quite solid, and, is "served in the same dish. COCOA MACAROONS. Pa as through, a sieve together one cupful of sifted flour, half a cupful of castor sugar, two level tablespoonfuls of cocoa, iaJf a teaspoonful of baking powder, one-fourth. * teaj spoonful each of salt and , cinnamon; • and ' one-eighth a teaspoonful each of cloVes. mace, i and nutmeg; with these mix the grated rind • of an orange and one-fourlh.- cupful of Ane- ' chopped citron. Break one egg and the yolk ' or white of another into the mixture; add 3 also a teaspoonful of vanilla extract, and mix 3 the whole to a stiff dough. With vbuttere£ > (hands roll the mixture into balls about the • size of walnuts ; dip one side l in sugar, and • set some distance apart in buttered pans, ther = sugared side up. Bake in a quick oven- The • recipe makes" 18 macaroons. ICED JAM SANDWICHES. Make a Genoise cake with Jib of castor 1 sugar, the same of flour, Jib of butter, and 3 six eggs. Beat th« eggs and: sugar over hot water for 10 minutes, warm the butter, and 1 stir it in alternately ' with the flour. Baka fc in a thin sheet— like Swiss roll. When cold, make into -sandwiches, with any Mnd of jam ■ between. 'If this is warmed with. a. few drops » of water it will spread better. Cut into, . & diamonds or any shape preferred, tnd again- ' brush a very little jaiir over the ■tops. Over f this pour the ,eoft icing, and stick a cherry and tw6 leaves of angelica in the [middle of each.' Part, of -them. may be' iced with pink icing, coloured with catrmine or v cochineai, ' and another- variant is to dust cocoanu* i thickly over the' jam on top, and omit, iho icing entirely.- 3 an -'^ w * o k' es > '** cv * ?n? n l en fi* nB » i »Ibo look yery pretty treated -in. this manner. Mark them in .four o? five divisions, on on© \ lay desiooated cocoanut, on another red jam ' very thinly laid on, on another something- ' green, such as chopped ..angelica or green c sugar. ' A pink division could be made win*. ■ pink sugar or cocoanut coloured pink. - '